Page 1 of A Sun Scorched Bloom

Chapter 1

Gray

"Arebellionto—tolead?" Lea stuttered, her eyes wide and body swaying as if the stone floor of the dungeon was shattering beneath her feet. The same stone floor where hundreds of rebels knelt behind them, completely unaware that while they’d been listening to Vincent speak, Gray had entered the enormous chamber and quietly confessed to her thathewas the one who had orchestrated the entire rebellion.

Gray’s eyes flicked to the rebels whose hands remained on their hearts, their thumbs tucked firmly inside their fists and eyes downcast in deference to Vincent, the dark-skinned, heavily tattooed Fae standing at the front of the room. The Fae theythoughtwas their new leader, the Eclipsed King.

"How—"

"Shhh—" Gray whispered as Vincent’s speech ended, his eyes flicking to Lea and Gray as he inclined his head to the back of the room. Gray nodded, grabbing Lea’s hand.

"Rise," Vincent ordered, the clanging of metal and shuffling of feet echoing through the torch-lit chamber and covering the sound of Gray and Lea’s footsteps as he pulled her behind the haphazard stacks of oversized wine barrels by the rear wall.

"We don’t have much time," Gray said into Lea’s ear as he crushed her to his chest in a tight embrace. "Are you hurt?" he asked, running his hands through the hair at the back of her head, then down her shoulders and torso. He pulled back, his eyes scanning her front for injuries. Lea’s blue eyes were red-rimmed and brimming with worry, and her long, honey-blonde hair was dotted with ash and soot, but her freckled skin appeared free of anything other than minor scrapes and bruises.

Gray finally exhaled as his heart rate slowed, the panic he’d been feeling since seeing his bastard of a brother, Alaric, trying to kill Lea easing to a persistent apprehension.

"I’m fine," Lea soothed, grabbing his hands and clasping them tight. "I promise, I’m okay. But what’s happening? If you’re leading the rebellion, why are we hiding?"

Nausea churned in Gray’s gut thinking about the confession he would soon have to make to the men and women they were hiding from. "The rebel army can’t know. Not yet. I am a Nestruir. Thesonof Brennus Nestruir, the Black King. I may have orchestrated this escape, but there’s no guarantee they’ll trust me as their leader, or even accept me as part of the rebellion."

It didn’t matter to Gray, not one bit. As long as Lea knew the truth, he wasn’t too proud to allow Vincent to take the glory for their escape. He’d happily shove down his pride if it meant every rebel made it out alive. "The only thing that matters right now is getting everyone out of here safely—"

The clash of a sword against a shield made Gray pause—threeclangs—Vincent’s sign that Erik was burning away the door hiding the tunnel to the outside of the castle that they’d spent the last year digging.

Dark smoke filled the room, and Gray ripped a strip of fabric from the hem of his shirt, stuffing it in Lea’s hand and raising it to cover her nose as the scent of burning wood grew suffocating. "There’s so much we need to discuss, and we will, but right now, we have to go," Gray pulled Lea close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and speaking into her hair. "The tunnel is enchanted to collapse ten minutes from when the door completely burns away, so run fast. If we get separated, go around the east wing."

Gray sent his shadows floating through the gaps in the barrels and along the floor to where Janelle, Lea’s childhood best friend, stood, whipping her berry-dyed purple head side to side. Next to her, Emma’s arm was turning red where Janelle’s hand squeezed it in a white-knuckled grip. Her curly brown hair was wild and windblown about her delicate, beautiful face, making her look so different from the usually pristine and put-together girl he’d seen working about the castle for so long.

Using his shadows, Gray tugged on Janelle’s sleeve, and her shoulders sagged in relief when she saw the trail of darkness leading to where Lea peeked out from behind their hiding spot. Janelle pulled Emma toward them, but Thomas stopped her with a firm grasp of the elbow, his eyes bouncing between Janelle and Lea.

Gray’s blood heated in anger. Thomas was always too physical with his demands, so self assured that he didn’t think twice before placing his hands on someone. Even through the clatter of the rebels now filing through the hole in the ground, Gray could hear his words.

"Where are you going? We need to leave," Thomas scolded, gesturing to the tunnel.

Janelle inclined her head toward Lea. "We’re not leaving her."

Thomas shook his head. "Look, I don’t know what’s going on, but I still don’t trust Evander. We don’t even know what he’s doing here. I’m getting you out of this place," Thomas whispered.

Gray couldn’t decide if he should laugh at Thomas or give in to his fury and kill him. He’d caused more trouble than he was worth since the moment he’d spoken up at the trial. Just minutes ago, he’d seen Gray enter the dungeons—had watched him make eye contact with Vincent and Erik, communicating silently with them. Among everyone in the room, he was one of six people who now knew he was involved in the rebellion, and still, he was too stubborn to believe it.

Thomas attempted to pull Janelle away again, and Lea’s anger shot through the bond.Fury it is,Gray decided as he stepped out from behind the barrels. With the few remaining rebels focused on making the drop into the tunnel, Gray allowed his shadows to escape in their full glory. They snaked across the stone and floated through the air as Gray lowered his chin, staring Thomas down in an unmistakable challenge.Pull her away one more time,Gray thought.I dare you.

Thomas’s eyes widened as he focused on the darkness that threatened to tear him apart. His face turned a deep red, and he let go of Janelle’s arm. "Don’t say I didn’t warn you," he snapped before glancing at Emma and storming off to join the remainder of the retreating rebels.

Janelle and Emma scurried toward Lea, but as the last few rebels disappeared through the hole in the ground, Gray pulled Lea to meet them halfway and led them all toward Erik. "Be prepared to fight," Gray instructed as they walked. "The fires have been contained to the palace grounds for now, but it won’t take long for the king to realize so many of his soldiers are missing. We set off the explosions to the west, and one of my generals was instructed to order every soldier on duty to investigate. The portcullis will be closed and blocked twenty minutes after the last explosion. You have to get out of the castle grounds at any cost. Go straight through town into the forest, the same way we entered Auropera. There’s a meeting place roughly eight hundred yards straight south. If you get lost, find someone with a red patch." Gray pointed to the crimson piece of fabric adorning his and Erik’s sleeves. "They’ll know where to go."

"Okay." Lea swallowed. "Anyone with a red patch. But we won’t get separated, right?"

Gray ground his jaw, every fiber of his being recoiling from the thought of not being with his mate as she escaped. But he bore a responsibility to his soldiers, to every man and woman who had shown up here tonight. "I refuse to leave any of our rebels behind to be slaughtered." Gray grabbed Lea’s chin. "Every demon in hell wouldn’t be able to keep us apart. If you lose me, I’ll find you. I swear it."

Lea’s tension flooded through their bond. She wanted to argue. He couldfeelit, but she was holding back.

"Thank you for listening to me," Gray pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes soft as he pressed a kiss to her lips, just for a moment. In the span of three seconds, he tried to convey everything he was feeling through their connection: love, devotion, adoration, protectiveness, and his sense of urgency. The words he was desperate to say danced on his lips, but there was no time to give them voice. Instead, he forced the emotions through the bond, desperate for Lea to know everything he felt. He had so much more to tell her, but not now. Not until they were safe.

Pulling away, Gray watched Erik disappear through the enormous gap where the wooden door had been, at least ten feet by ten feet and still smoldering at the edges. Behind the opening, the wall was hollowed out, and a small hole had been dug into the floor, barely large enough for the biggest of them, Gray, to slide through.

At least three minutes had passed since the door had burned away, leaving only seven for them to escape before it collapsed in on itself. "Janelle, you next," Gray ordered, knowing Erik waited below to help her and Emma down.

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